Sunday, 1 May 2016

#plaque366 Peter Cook in #Soho

A London commemorative plaque for every day in 2016. The plaques are selected from all walks of life, and all points of the London compass – and I'm taking requests too!DROP ME A LINE or leave a comment below if you'd like to nominate a plaque for inclusion in the seriesComedian, actor, writer Peter Cook in Green Street, Soho…

“The only good title I ever came up with.” Thus Peter Cook judged the name of his Establishment Club in Greek Street, the satirical comedy club which, from 1961 – 1964 played host not only to Cook’s work, but that of such comedy luminaries as Lenny Bruce. Regarded by many as a genius (Stephen Fry once described him as “The funniest man who ever drew breath.”) Cook was born in Devon and was headed for diplomatic service but was stymied by the fact that, in his own words, “England had run out of colonies” by the time he came down from Cambridge. One quarter of Beyond the Fringe (with Dudley Moore, Jonathan Miller and Alan Bennett), publisher and sometime financial saviour of Private Eye magazine, his comedy influence stretches into the present day.